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Boston Tourist Traps

Tips and photos of Boston tourist attractions and tourist traps, posted by real travelers and Boston locals.
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Boston Tourist TrapsTips 1 - 10 of 96  
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Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market: The Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market
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  • Updated By Paul2001 on August 30, 2007
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  • The Faneuil Hall Marketplace - Boston
    The Faneuil Hall
    Marketplace
    by Paul2001,
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    The Faneuil Hall Marketplace opened in 1976 and is now the most popular tourist site in Boston. Essentially it is a mall incorporated into several historic buildings in Downtown Boston. Many of the buildings were once the main marketplace in Boston hence the name. However today it hosts the usual array of restaurant and shopping franchises that you might find anywhere else in the United States or even the World. What is special is the architecture and its early American colonial feel. However that is spoiled by the replica of the "Cheers" bar that flanks the marketplace. I thought that the whole place seemed way too crowded to be enjoyable. Do any of the masses of tourists really notice the fascinating architecture or are they more interested in wandering around the shops like Victoria's Secret. If you still want to go, the Faneuil Hall Marketplace is located at Between North, Congress, and State street,. and I-93. It is open from 10am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday and from noon to 6pm on Sunday.

    The actual Faneuil Hall is well worth taking in, especially since it is free. This building dates from 1740 when it was built by a merchant, Peter Faneuill. Faneuil Hall was orginally intended to be a meeting place and market place. It served as a gathering spot for the Sons of Liberty in the years before the American Revolution. It still serves as a meeting hall however because Faneuil was a life-long bachelor, you cannot get married here. The meeting hall is on the second floor and you can visit it by way of National Park Service tour which was very well conducted during my time here. There are numerous reproductions of paintings that many Americans will recognize and a fascinating old clock made of wood. I also did enjoy my lunch at Zumas Tex Mex Cafe. There are also some good street performers around the perimeter of the market that the kids might enjoy.

    Go to any of Boston's amazing collection of museums and galleries. Get some culture!

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    Bull & Finch Pub / Cheers: Cheers? - nooooooot really
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  • Updated By ElaineCatherine on February 16, 2005
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  • The outside is the best part - Boston
    The outside is the best part
    by ElaineCatherine
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    The bar from which the tv show was made? Hmmm - I dont think so.. - If you are near the Boston common.. do walk by just to see the sign..and the stairs that lead down inside..but after that the likeness ends.. - see the sign, take a picture, and keep on walking to things that are far more interesting.. The State house is just up the hill and is far more exciting..

    If you must go.. take a Tourist with you, so you dont feel so silly! Here's my friend Graham from England enjoying his trip to the Cheers bar! I will also tell you that one of the bar-tenders there isnt too too fond of British people. He griped about them constantly the entire time Graham and I were there. Which I think was a bit rude considering that there were a couple British people within hearing distance! It was still fun though..

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    Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market: Faneuil Hall
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  • By cjg1 on October 23, 2006
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  • This is Boston's version of the tourist hell. Everyone seems to come here and the prices and quality for most things reflect it. I have been here several times and generally now try to avoid it. Its the funny thing with tourist traps like this. Times Square, Fisherman's Wharf, etc. You have to go and see it just to know what a tourist trap it is. Always sample before disregarding.

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    Take you for a (not) free ride
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  • Updated By mrdarius on February 9, 2004
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  • The
    The "T" on Comm. Ave.
    by mrdarius
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    Avoid all driving if you can. Even though public transport doesn't run very late (trains are done by 2am and buses don't go much later), cabs will cost you an arm and a leg even for a short trip. Cabbies I've had have tried to take me for a ride and overcharge. Also, not all of 'em know Boston very well. Boston is not that big; you can get most places by walking, bus or "T." If you rent a car, you won't find parking and chances are you'll get it dinged up.

    If you must drive, drive out of the city. If you must take your car into the city, try to stick it in a lot, as even the most careful sign-reader will miss the fine print once in a while and end up with one of the famous neon orange City of Boston parking violation tickets. If you have to take a cab, try to share a ride with someone else, and know where you're going (this is the case with any city you go to I guess).

    If it's late and the "T" has stopped running, keep your eyes peeled for a "Night Owl" bus. These buses follow the "T" lines, NOT the regular bus routes. Check the schedules to see where and when they go. PS - make sure you carry change with you if you're taking the T. The fare is now $1.25. A very annoying rate indeed.

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    Bull & Finch Pub / Cheers: WHERE NO ONE KNOWS YOUR NAME...
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  • Updated By heywinks on January 18, 2003
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  • CHEERS!!! The Cheers Bar/Restaurant is not what it is on TV. The inside is nothing like the Cheers on TV. You`ll be disappointed when you come here, unless you want to buy Cheers memorabilia. But you can always come & take a picture next to the sign. Everyone does. Just to say you came. :-) Address: 84 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108. 617-227-9605. Located directly across from the Public Garden.

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    Duck Tours: Duck Tours of Boston
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  • By Cabana_Boy on November 28, 2002
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  • One the obnoxious Duck Tours in Boston - Boston
    One the obnoxious Duck Tours
    in Boston
    by Cabana_Boy
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    This really isn't a "trap" so to speak, but a very touristy thing to do. The Ducks are actually half truck, half boat vehicles used during World War II for allied invasions over beaches. This multi-purpose vehicle has been adapted to the tourism industry in a number of cities in the U.S. where streets and waterways are used for the tour route. In Boston, the long trucks are a bit much in the narrow, traffic jammed streets and I have no idea how the tour operators remain clam when driving...

    If you like city tours and have never been to Boston, visitors should actually do this tour. It's about 90 minutes long covers most of the major sights in downtown Boston covering all the "firsts" Boston is famous for. After bouncing around the city, the Duck Tour will then pull around to a boat launch near Charlestown and actually enter into the Charles River. Passing through the locks near the Museum of Science, the Duck Tour will continue along the Boston side of the Charles River passing under the Longfellow Bridge before returning to the streets.

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    Bull & Finch Pub / Cheers: Where everybody knows your name?
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  • By dinhyen on September 6, 2002
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  • Boston Tourist Traps
    by dinhyen
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    Boston has its fair share of tourist traps. One of them is the Bull & Finch Pub, supposedly the inspiration for the hit TV series "Cheers". It certainly looks like Cheers from the outside, in fact shots of the exterior were used in the series. But the interior is nothing like what you'd expect. Norm and Cliff are nowhere to be seen either. I'm so disappointed.

    ... travel incognito. Don't let anyone recognize you.!

    Go to a real pub. Beer is beer after all.

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    Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market: Quincy Market
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  • Updated By Cabana_Boy on November 28, 2002
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  • Quincy Market in downtown Boston - Boston
    Quincy Market in downtown
    Boston
    by Cabana_Boy
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    Quincy Market, located in the heart of downtown Boston directly behind Faneul Hall. Unfortunately, the area has been totally overrun with national chain retailers (i.e. stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, The GAP, etc).

    Despite the commercialism, the area is definitely worth walking through as it does have historical significance. And, if you really want to buy something, go into Faneul Hall to the Brearley Collection and buy an old photograph of Boston.

    There are a few bars and restaurants in the Quincy Market area also, so, head to one of those grab a drink and bite to eat.

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    Bull & Finch Pub / Cheers: The Cheers Bar...
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  • Updated By Cabana_Boy on November 28, 2002
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  • The Cheers Bar along the Boston Common - Boston
    The Cheers Bar along the
    Boston Common
    by Cabana_Boy
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    The Cheers Bar. Okay, folks it was just a television show. And although it was a good show at first, it became very monotous and was probably on a few years too long. Besides the inside of the real Cheers Bar here in Boston looks nothing like the television version. Surprised? Don't be and don't bother...there will probably be a long line of tourists trying to get in anyway.

    Go to a real Boston Pub, head around the corner to Charles Street and go to the Beacon Hill Pub...

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    Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market: Faneuil Hall Marketplace
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  • Updated By zChris on May 28, 2003
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  • Faneuil Hall - Boston
    Faneuil Hall
    by zChris
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    Faneuil Hall Marketplace (AKA Quincy Market) is a beautiful place of immense historic value which has been overrun by chain stores and overpriced restaurants. If you feel the Boston 'experience' is buying the same junk you could get in Denver or Chicago, this is the place for you. Otherwise I reccommend you admire the handsome structures, view the masses who shop there with disgust, and move on. On a side note, however, there are several excellent fast-food places inside the Quincy Market building itself (the one with the columns). And, to its credit, Faneuil Hall (1742) itself is an elegant building that makes a fitting centrepiece to Boston's busiest market.

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